Leisure satisfaction and happiness as a function of leisure activity.

114 subjects rated their happiness, leisure satisfaction, and several dimensions of leisure activity at two points in time. Some personality differences were found between those choosing different kinds of leisure, e.g. self-esteem and voluntary work, cooperativeness and clubs, neuroticism and hobbies rather than sports. Sixty-eight percent of respondents reported being committed to a leisure activity; they found their leisure to be more absorbing, more under control, and more challenging as well as more stressful than those who were not committed to a leisure activity; and they also had greater leisure satisfaction. Leisure satisfaction correlated with happiness, and social aspects of leisure satisfaction predicted happiness in longitudinal analysis.